Facing the issue

Press, 6 March 1989, Page 20

Facing the issue

By

A. K. GRANT

NOW that Mrs Margaret Murray has pulled out of the mayoralty contest, the campaign resolves itself into a three-horse race between myself, standing for the Satirists’ Association, Sir Hamish Hav for the Citizens Association, and the strong likelihood of Ms Vicki Buck standing in the interests of the Labour Party. It is not yet time for me to release details of my policies, hut I do want to confront headon one issue which has been tandied about by Mrs Murray Sd Ms Buck, and that is the nuestion of a baby. I want to SL ail the voters of MegaloSm Christchurch (as I believe P°? new conurbation should be Sued) that I am not going to 081 habv and that my permy mayoral duties ST unaffected by the de±*that a baby would make. th?t I am past chiidOne S aoe That does not, of bearing age. entirely out course, h**®.? stranger things

since I have decided to dedicate my life and service to the people of Megalopolitan Christchurch, I do not believe that I should allow the personal pleasure that I might derive from having a baby to come between me and my duty.

The second thing is that I am afraid of post-puerperal depression. I am quite depressed enough already without copping a load of that, thank you very much.

Third, we have long since given away all the children’s baby clothes and accessories and the thought of acquiring new cots, prams, nappies, zoot suits, bouncers, play pens and toys that make loud and disagreeable noises is somehow exhausting. So. I pledge that neither during the mayoral campaign nor after will I have a baby. But can any of my opponents say the same? On the one hand, we have Vicki Buck, who is definitely going to have a baby, but hasn’t yet declared herself to be a candidate, and on the other hand we have Sir Hamish, who is definitely a candidate, but hadn’t

said whether or not he is going to have a baby.

Then of course there are the wild cards, Ken Ellis and James Daniels, who, in spite of having available to them the entire resources of a breakfast programme, have refused to say where they stand on the issue of having a baby. But I suspect that theirs is only a joke candidacy. I wish to place on record my strong disapproval of people using local body politics as a source of fun. The issues involved are too important for that sort of thing to be tolerated.

We are left, therefore, with myself as the only candidate who is willing to front up unequivocally and say that (a) he is a candidate; (b) he is going to win;. and (c) he is not going to have a baby. I challenge Sir Hamish Hay to make a similar pledge. (Vicki Buck can’t, for obvious reasons.) If Sir Hamish will not respond to this challenge, voters will be free.to draw their own conclusions in the polling booths in October.